Purdue Baseball: Brooks Leads the Way in Boilers' 8-2 Win Over Michigan State
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Cory Brooks did not surrender a run until the sixth inning while the Boilermakers were building a seven-run lead, leading the way as Purdue's baseball team defeated Michigan State 8-2 Monday in the finale of the three-team pod weekend.
Ben Nisle hit his team-leading fourth home run of the season and 13th career, a two-run blast off the fir trees in left-center field. Evan Albrecht was 3-for-4 with a two-out, two-run double in the second inning.
Zac Fascia stayed hot with four productive plate appearances and was a big reason why the Boilermakers (6-15) put their leadoff man aboard in four of the first five innings. That runner scored all four times. Fascia doubled to open the top of the second and singled to begin the fourth, coming around to score both times. During his six-game hit streak, he’s 11-for-19 with six RBI and five runs scored.
Brooks (2-1), a redshirt junior from Hilliard, Ohio, faced only 18 batters over his first five innings, surrendering just three singles in the process. The lone run he conceded was on a solo homer to begin the bottom of the sixth. The 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball marked his longest outing as a Boilermaker.
Purdue turned three double plays, matching its season high. All three twin killings were in the second half of the game to squash any chance the Spartans (11-11) had at a big inning.
Eric Hildebrand needed only two pitches to retire MSU’s No. 5 and 6 hitters to end the sixth inning, inducing a pop up to shortstop and a comebacker to strand a pair of runners. The junior has allowed only three of 11 inherited base runners to score this season.
Jett Jackson pitched over a pair of walks to post a zero in the eighth inning, finishing the frame with a strikeout after a line-drive double play erased the lead runner at second base. Joseph Whitman retired both batters he faced to begin the ninth, highlighted by his first collegiate strikeout. Avery Cook struck out the Spartans’ No. 3 hitter to close out the win.
Tyler Powers and Miles Simington joined Albrecht and Fascia with at least three productive plate appearances. Powers had an RBI single, sac bunt and was hit by a pitch. Simington drove in the game’s first run with a sacrifice fly to go along with a single and walk. Powers and Fascia hit safely in all four games of the weekend.
Led by Powers’ career-best 15-game reached base safely streak, which also features an active six-game hit streak, Purdue has six players with an active reached-safely streak of at least six games. That group includes:
• Tyler Powers – 15 games
• Ben Nisle – 10 games
• Miles Simington – 10 games
• Skyler Hunter – 8 games
• Zac Fascia – 6 games
• Mason Gavre – 6 games
The Boilermakers play in another three-team pod next weekend at Illinois Field in Champaign. Their first two games will be against Michigan State before a pair of matchups with the Fighting Illini. Purdue’s first game is Saturday at 6 p.m. ET.
Game information was provided by the Purdue athletic department.
Big Ten Standings
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Big Ten Schedule, Results
Friday's results (April 9)
- Michigan State 7, Penn State 4
- Northwestern 6, Rutgers 5, 12 innings
- Ohio State 7, Michigan 4
- Indiana 6, Illinois 4
- Iowa 7, Minnesota 1
- Nebraska 6, Maryland 2
Saturday's results (April 10)
- Penn State 11, Purdue 0 (at East Lansing, Mich.)
- Michigan 7, Ohio State 0
- Rutgers 8, Northwestern 4
- Minnesota at Iowa, ppd.
- Maryland 10, Nebraska 7
- Indiana 8, Illinois 0
Sunday's results (April 11)
- Purdue 8, Penn State 5
- Illinois at Indiana, ppd. rain
- Rutgers 6, Northwestern 5
- Nebraska 14, Maryland 3
- Iowa 6, Minnesota 1 (first game)
- Iowa 18, Minnesota 0 (second game)
- Michigan 16, Ohio State 7
- Michigan State 5, Purdue 2
Monday's game (April 12)
- Purdue 8, Michigan State 2
Friday's schedule (April 16)
- Iowa at Rutgers, 2 p.m, ET
- Indiana at Northwestern, 3 p.m. ET
- Michigan at Minnesota, 5 p.m. ET
- Nebraska at Penn State, 6 p.m. ET
- Ohio State at Maryland, 6:30 p.m. ET
- Michigan State at Illinois, 7 p.m. ET
Saturday's schedule (April 17)
- Iowa at Rutgers (doubleheader), 11 a.m, ET
- Indiana at Northwestern, 1 p.m. ET
- Nebraska at Penn State, 1 p.m. ET
- Purdue vs. Michigan State, 6 p.m. ET (at Champaign, Ill.)
- Michigan at Minnesota, 2 p.m. ET
- Ohio State at Maryland, 2 p.m. ET
- Michigan State at Illinois, 7 p.m. ET
Sunday's schedule (April 18)
- Iowa at Rutgers, Noon ET
- Indiana at Northwestern, Noon ET
- Nebraska at Penn State, 11 a.m. ET
- Purdue vs. Michigan State, 1 p.m. ET (at Champaign, Ill.)
- Ohio State at Maryland, 1 p.m. ET
- Michigan at Minnesota, 2 p.m. ET
- Purdue at Illinois, 5 p.m. ET
Monday's schedule (April 19)
- Purdue at Illinois, 4 p.m. ET